Rutgers hoping to get into more of a routine in the midst of an odd schedule

Rutgers is back home on Saturday, bracing for a visit by Houston, and normally it wouldn't even been noteworthy that the Scarlet Knights are back in familiar surroundings.

But this year, because of a bizarre schedule, nothing is normal.

This weekend's Homecoming designation actually applies to the players as well, since the Scarlet Knights have not played at High Point Solutions Stadium since Sept. 21 against Arkansas. That's five weeks, two road games and two byes ago.

"It does seem like it's been a while since we were at home," linebacker Kevin Snyder said.

Playing its one and only year in the AAC before moving to the Big Ten next season, Rutgers has been dealt an unusual schedule to say the least: Three byes and three Thursday night games, with the season getting its start in California in August and ending in New Jersey in December.

Rutgers is coming off its second bye of the season -- actually it's a 10-day layoff, since the last game was on a Thursday night against Louisville -- when it resumes play against the Cougars (5-1).

That was also the second league road game in a five-day span, since the Scarlet Knights (4-2) played at SMU in their previous game.

"I think in some ways it's helpful in that in some ways you have a chance to get some guys healthy that wouldn't have been healthy and feeling better," coach Kyle Flood said of having two byes the first eight weeks. "And in other ways the challenge is the rhythm of the practice week.

"That's really what I've grown to see this year, more so than any other year. Last year it was a little bit more evenly spaced. This year it has not been and I think you have to really get into the rhythm of practice week, and that's why we did a little bit more on Sunday to get ourselves back into that rhythm."